Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, the sequel to Wall Street, had its world premiere last month at the Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan. It wasn’t exactly Wall Street meets Hollywood but a lucky few from the "Street" were able to walk the red carpet, thanks to small walk-on parts that added some authenticity. Noted omissions from the film were the New York Stock Exchange, and the big Wall Street firms, which had featured in the original. The film focuses on the world of credit default swaps, and the now well-publicized world of high-frequency trading, where many say the "new greed is going’’.
There weren’t a lot of bankers there. Warren Buffett was, Nouriel Roubini was, so too Tyra Banks, with the cast and the director, Oliver Stone. Sunil Hirani, the former chief executive of Creditex, a credit derivatives broker, with a small walk-on cameo, said Stone knew enough about credit derivatives to be dangerous. Euromoney assumes that doesn’t mean in an AIG sort of way. The original Wall Street was the inspiration that launched the career of many a banker and stockbroker. It will be hard to match that with this one. As one banker who was inspired by watching the film 20 years ago told Euromoney after watching the sequel: "I drifted off somewhere in the middle and found myself thinking about the original." Aaah... Sentimentality.
see also:
RBC employees get shot at stardom, Euromoney November 2009
